With the new year officially upon us, it's time to look forward to all the great gaming experiences coming in 2015. Featuring new games from acclaimed studios Kojima Productions, From Software, Monolith Soft, Naughty Dog, and Nintendo EAD, 2015 promises to be a stellar year.

The following list includes my ten most wanted games of 2015. Please enjoy.





From Frictional Games, the creators of Penumbra and Amnesia, comes SOMA, a survival horror game set in an underwater research facility. The game will be oriented around exploration and survival. Thomas Grip, Creative Director at Frictional, stated that his goal for SOMA is "to not just be another carnival ride of cheap scares. It is meant to chill you to your core, and confront you with questions about your very existence."




The first home console Yoshi game in 18 years, Yoshi's Woolly World seeks to honor traditions and, at the same time, add some new mechanics. With characters and levels composed of yarn and cloth, the game should provide a healthy amount of environmental interaction, in addition to the aerial acrobatics and transformations typical of the series. Two-player co-op is also available.




As the first Batman game designed for PS4 and Xbox One, Arkham Knight manages to fit the entire city of Gotham into one tiny disc. In fact, the game is five times bigger than developer Rocksteady Studios' previous title, Arkham City. Combat has also been refined in the years since Arkham City launched. There are new, more powerful enemies, new combos, and brand new environmental attacks. Last, but definitely not least, this latest Batman game features, for the first time, the Batmobile as a drivable vehicle, which can be summoned to the player's location at will.




Mario Maker is a game creation application with huge potential. Whether owners want to create interesting and unique levels, or simply experience levels created by others, the game should provide hours and hours of entertainment. Directed by Yosuke Oshino, who worked as a programmer on Pikmin and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Mario Maker will offer lots of customization options, include four distinct graphical styles.




With what looks like improved level design and enemy AI, Uncharted 4 could be the best game in Sony's marquee shooter series. Boasting scripted platforming and cinematic action, the game looks to be a logical continuation of the series, with a smart dose of stealth mixed in for good measure. During the game's lengthy, invigorating demo at last month's PlayStation Experience, it became clear that cat-and-mouse covert action would play a more significant part in this latest Uncharted game.




From the geniuses who brought the world the Souls series comes Bloodborne, an action RPG that borrows some ideas from Demon's Souls and Dark Souls, but which entertains new mechanics and much faster gameplay. Following the mantra that "the best defense is a good offense," director Hidetaka Miyazaki and company have designed the combat in Bloodborne around speed, agility, and offensive firepower. The game will also feature online co-op for up to three players.




Fresh from creating one of the best games of the seventh generation, the developers at Monolith Soft are back with Xenoblade Chronicles X, an open-world RPG focused on questing and exploration. With an improved battle system and quest log, multiple character classes, and the ability to travel via Transformers-style mechs, Xenoblade Chronicles X looks to be another instant classic from Monolith Soft.




One of the surprise hits from E3 2014, Splatoon looks to change the rules of what has become in the last decade a very stale and bloated genre. Splatoon is a squad-based third-person shooter that pits two teams of four players against each other, each squad composed of squid-kid hybrids armed with ink guns. During each match, players can transform from a kid into a squid, which can then surf through its own team's ink undetected, and maybe even ambush an enemy player. The WiiU GamePad is used cleverly in Splatoon, displaying a map of the battlefield covered in ink and the player's teammates. One swipe of a finger (or stylus) will launch the player across the map directly to his or her partner.




The latest from legend Hideo Kojima is Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, a game that promises, according to Kojima, "a true open world experience." Storywise, the game is a continuation of the story started in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. Apart from the open-world structure, The Phantom Pain will feature real-time weather and horseback riding. As always, this Metal Gear game will focus on stealth and tactical espionage.